Astronomy lecturers are taking umbrage at being ousted from Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. A $93 million, four-year makeover of the art deco landmark was followed by a restaffing for planetarium shows. For many years, pedigreed astronomers, mathematicians and teachers gave hourlong lectures on topics such as the Big Bang theory and moon landings, and took questions from the audience. Now, young actors are hitting the highlights in 22-minute presentations. ``It's reopening as an astronomical version of Disneyland,'' said James Somers, 57, an astronomer who wasn't invited back when the observatory resumed operations in November. ``To be replaced by people who don't know about the subject is a travesty.'' Somers, an astronomy professor at Moorpark College near Los Angeles, had worked at the observatory for 27 years. He joined another ex-lecturer in filing an unfair labor practices complaint against the city, which owns the facility. ... http://www.bloomberg.com

A fast-moving "monster" fire in southeastern Georgia has blackened 10,000 acres of forest, destroyed a mobile home and was threatening the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refugee, a haven for alligators, bears and wading birds, officials said Tuesday. The fire started Monday when a tree fell on a power line near Waycross. Pushed by the winds, it forced more than 70 families from their homes and raced through drought-parched forests into the northwest corner of the Okefenokee, one of the nation's oldest and best preserved wetland areas, officials said. "It was jumping county roads and highways," said Neal Edmondson, a fire official with the Georgia Forestry Commission. "It was just a monster." As a precaution, firefighters ordered the evacuation of the Okefenokee Swamp Park, a private park east of Waycross that attracts thousands of visitors each year. Bears, reptiles and other animals in the park's zoo were also being moved to safety, Edmondson said....http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2007-04-17-ga-wildfire_N.htm?csp=34

Police in Ramadi uncovered 17 decomposing corpses buried beneath two schoolyards in a district that until recently was under the control of al-Qaida fighters. At least 85 people were killed or found dead across the country Tuesday. The adult bodies were discovered in the Anbar provincial capital after students and teachers returned to the schools a week ago and noticed an increasingly putrid odor and stray dogs digging in the area, Police Maj. Laith al-Dulaimi said. He said one body had not yet been recovered from a separate burial site behind one of the schools because authorities feared it was booby-trapped with a bomb. Ramadi had been a stronghold of Sunni insurgents and al-Qaida fighters until recently, when the U.S. forces in the region and the Iraqi government successfully negotiated with many local tribal leaders to split them off from the more militant insurgent groups. ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3049731

The Marines Corps said Tuesday it had dropped all charges against a sergeant in exchange for his testimony against fellow Marines accused of killing 24 civilians in Haditha, the deadliest criminal case to arise from the Iraq war.Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz had been charged with unpremeditated murder in the death of five Iraq civilians.Lt. Gen. James Mattis, who announced the deal Tuesday, said the charges against Dela Cruz had been dismissed April 2. Dela Cruz was given immunity in exchange for his testimony, the Marines said.The Marine squad had suffered a fatality on Nov. 19, 2005, when its convoy was rocked by a roadside bomb blast. In the aftermath of the explosion, the troops are accused of killing 24 Iraqis in Haditha.Four enlisted Marines were charged with unpremeditated murder, and four officers were charged with failing to adequately report the deaths....http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-17-iraq-shootings_N.htm?csp=34

A grand jury indicted six former staff members at a school for juvenile offenders on charges of reckless endangerment in the death of a 17-year-old student, officials announced Tuesday. Isaiah Simmons died Jan. 23 while being restrained by staff at Bowling Brook Preparatory School. State's Attorney Jerry Barnes said the charges stemmed from a 41-minute period during which Simmons was unresponsive but staff at didn't call 911. "They thought he was faking," Barnes said. Medical examiners ruled his death a homicide, and the FBI has opened a civil rights investigation into the case. The school has since closed. The grand jury declined to indict the six employees on the more serious charge of involuntary manslaughter. Steven Heisler, an attorney for Simmons' family, said he disagreed with that decision and that he has asked Barnes to file manslaughter charges against the six employees....http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-17-juvenile-death_N.htm?csp=34

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has a simple solution to future shooting massacres such as the one that ripped apart Virginia Tech university Monday: more guns. "People are a little more cautious if somebody might have a gun there," the GOP presidential candidate told Politico reporters Tuesday. "A concealed gun carried by a responsible person -- that might have ended the problem that they had at Virginia Tech with one person being killed or two people being killed." Paul, 71, is the kind of lawmaker, and presidential candidate, gun control advocates love to hate at moments like this. And, based on public opinion polls and reader feedback at Politico.com, he's far from alone. Echoing the views of many Americans, he sees calls for restriction on guns as an affront to freedom. The libertarian-minded Texan is one of the most outspoken defenders of gun rights in Congress. Since the obstetrician was first elected to Congress in 1976, he has never voted for a bill restricting gun ownership. ...http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0407/3556.html